First two Ouya-funded games appear to be scams

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Last month, Ouya announced a campaign where the company would match the final funding tally of Kickstarted games, but only if those games would agree to be timed exclusives on the $99 Android console. This, as a certain someone wrote on Geek’s sister site, was a good move from a company that always seems to have the best intentions, but rarely makes good moves. Two games met the funding goals and the Ouya-backing requirements — Elementary, My Dear Holmes! and Gridiron Thunder. However, a few internet sleuths seem to have discovered that the way both games received their initial funding was a scam.

The Ouya funding program is a good idea. The console needs exclusive games, and game developers need funding. However, one of the flaws of crowdfunding campaigns is that the campaign officials can fund it with their own money, making the project look popular when it actually isn’t. Ouya said it would match a minimum of $50,000 in raised funds. So, if a company wanted a “free” $50,000 from Ouya, it could post a Kickstarter campaign, fund the campaign itself, then have Ouya match it. Both Elementary and Gridiron supposedly did just that.

First, it’s worth noting that there’s nothing wrong with Ouya helping to fund games. The issue here is that the developers of both games more or less lied to the public in order to get some cash from Ouya. A few separate internet sleuths discovered some shady business going on with both of the funded games. In Gridiron’s case, the sleuth discovered that all of the game’s funding — over $78,000 — was met with just 127 backers largely on cheap funding tiers. However, 17 backers contributed around $4,000 each, and the majority of the game’s funding happened during the small span of four days. That could all be a coincidence, but it doesn’t look very organic.

Elementary, on the other hand, is potentially involved in much sketchier business. Rather than odd pledge amounts or time periods, the game’s backers are cause for concern. Along with celebrity accounts, such as Cat Cora of Iron Chef fame and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, one of the accounts used a picture of a woman missing since 2011.

It remains to be seen if these two games actually participated in shady business, or they’re just unfortunate coincidences. Regardless, though, the only real fault would be lying to the public — and using what appears to be fake accounts. While the Ouya fund-matching is a good idea, perhaps the company should’ve just been funding games on their own, based on another platform.